My Life With Abe ~ A True Ghost Story

I first saw Abe when I was about 5 or 6 years old. I remember he startled me a bit, but didn’t scare me. Even at that young an age it took a lot to truly scare me. Real people scared me more then the shadows I saw.

My family lived in an old house at the time, built around the turn of the last century. It was two stories, with an attic and a basement. I was going to describe it, but I actually found the house on Google Maps! How awesome is that. I wasn’t sure if it was even still standing. Now you can see the house I grew up in, the one that I first met Abe the ghost, and a few others.

My childhood home

The house actually has two living spaces, upstairs and downstairs. The small sidewalk that goes off to the side heads to the back door. As you opened the back door you could either go down a small flight of stairs to the basement, or up to the kitchen door. Past the kitchen door is another flight of stairs that took you upstairs to the other apartment. Beyond that was a steep set of wood stairs the led to the attic. On this picture you can just make out the attic window through the tree limbs.

When we lived in the house there was no fence around the front, and the two big trees on the side were not there. The bush in the front was, all though it was trimmed down back then. Otherwise it is pretty much as it was then. It looks pretty good for being over 100 years old. I know it’s that old because my sister and I were playing in the attic one day and we found some loose floor boards. We pulled them up and found the floor had been insulated with newspapers (which I understand was quite common back then). The papers were dated 1898.

Anyway, with the sun shining it doesn’t look like a scary house does it? But, it is one of the most haunted houses I have ever lived in and I’ve lived in a few. This is where I first saw Abe. All of us kids were terrified of the basement. It was a scary place. At the time we lived downstairs and another couple lived upstairs and they had four kids, so with us that made eight kids living in that house. Every single one of us were terrified of the basement. We all saw things down there that were hard to explain.

That’s where I first saw the ghost I named Abe. All the kids saw Abe at one time or another and we all described him the same. All we ever saw was a shadow, tall and lean, with the distinct outline of a stovepipe hat. So, being kids the only person we knew who wore a hat like that was Abe Lincoln, thus Abe was named.

this is very similar to what I see

There were other “things” in the house too. But for today I will stick with Abe. To me he wasn’t really scary. One time when I was in the basement alone, I think I was sent downstairs to get some canned food for my mom, I started talking to Abe. It made things a little less scary for me. I just kept a running dialog going till I could get the hell out of there!

I remember asking him why he stayed down in the basement. Also why he was there in the first place. I asked him if he had died in the house and that’s why he was there. It was question after question the way kids do. I saw his shadow off in the corner of the basement. Nothing distinct. Just a darker spot then the surrounding darkness. The basement was lighted only by bare light bulbs It seemed no matter how high a wattage my dad put down there the basement was always full of darkness and shadows.

Abe wasn’t the only ‘shadow ghost’ down in the basement. There was another one. That one WAS scary. Even the grown ups got scared by him. Only way I know that is I overheard a conversation between my mom and the lady upstairs about it. They would never admit it in front of us kids though. That was the one I was really scared of. But it seemed with Abe there the other one wasn’t. So believe me when I saw Abe in that basement I wasn’t nearly as scared as when I saw the other thing.

It seems, if my memory is right, after I had that one-sided conversation with Abe that he showed up in the main living quarters for the first time. It was like me having asked him why he stayed in the basement was an invitation for him to move upward. He spooked my sister one night. I mean, woke up screaming spooked her! She said she saw him in our bedroom. I didn’t see him that night, but it wasn’t long afterward that I did see him.

I was a fairly light sleeper all my life. Mostly because of other crap that went on. But, one night I woke up because I kept getting the feeling someone was staring at me. You know that feeling. The one where you feel a bit uneasy, then the back of your neck hairs stand on end? Yeah, I got that feeling. I remember it like it was last night. I opened my eyes and saw Abe standing at the foot of my bed!

Now the way our bedroom was set up, my twin bed faced toward the door. My sister’s bed was on the opposite wall and faced the window. She was sound asleep because I heard her little snores. I stared at the foot of my bed and the shadow that was Abe. I wasn’t scared. Maybe a bit startled, but not scared. I just wondered what he wanted. He never gave off a threatening aura to me, all though some of the other kids said otherwise. Then I remembered Abe just disappeared. One minute he was there, I blinked, and then he was gone. I went back to sleep.

After that it was nothing to see Abe in my room late at night. As I grew older I didn’t see him as much. Too busy with life I think. Then we moved. A new house in a newer neighborhood. By then my sister had married and moved out, my older brother too. My younger brother had moved to Texas with a friend. So during my last two years of high school I was the only one left.

I didn’t give Abe much thought then. Till I saw him in the new house! My parents had gone out and I was there on one of the rare occasions alone. I was reading, nothing new there, but then I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I had a dog, but I knew it wasn’t him because he was sound asleep next to me. I shrugged it off. A few minutes later another movement! This time I knew I wasn’t seeing things because my dog woke up and looked in the same direction.

The dog kept looking and so did I. Suddenly the corner where I was watching grew darker. Then I saw the distinct outline of Abe! To prove Abe was friendly, my dog was wagging his tail! It had been a while since I had seen Abe and was a little surprised he was there. I had always thought that ghosts stayed in one spot. Either Abe wasn’t a normal ghost (if there was even a such a thing) or he was different from a ghost. After that I saw him quite often, but never gave it much thought. He was just a part of my life by then.

I graduated, got a job, and my own place with my best friend. Yes, Abe showed up there too, once or twice. My best friend got sick and I moved back with my parents. They lived in an apartment by then. I don’t remember seeing Abe there. It’s not surprising I guess considering all the hell I was going through with my sick friend. Then my parents moved into another house. My room was up in the attic which had been converted to one big room. I saw Abe a couple of times. Just brief glimpses. I don’t think I even thought anything of it by then.

Then I moved away from home. To another state. Across country. I got married. My husband never believed about things that went bump in the night. I told him about my encounters with Abe and others before I had met him. He scoffed and said those things didn’t exist. He was one of those big rough and tough Texans. You know the type. Macho. Nothing scared him kinda guys.

It took Abe a couple of years that time to catch up to me, but he did. I was home alone again. With my dogs. (see a pattern here?) My husband was out with his girlfriend at the time (of course I didn’t know that then) and I was feeling lonely. I was sitting at the kitchen table with the dogs laying at my feet when all of a sudden one of their balls comes slowly rolling down past us. Kid you not! Now I looked around and counted my animals. Yup, all four of them were there! So, who or what rolled the ball???

I got up and went down the hallway that was off to my left. That’s where the bathroom and bedrooms were. No one was there. I turned on all the lights and didn’t see why the ball would roll on its own, on carpet. Over a throw rug. So I shrugged and went back and sat down. My oldest dog took the ball and went off down the same hallway. I called her back and she came back without the ball. I started petting her when that damn ball came rolling down past us again!

My german shepherd was more inline with the hall way and was looking down the hall wagging her tail. Now I had just checked that no one was down there. So again, what made that ball come rolling down? So I took that ball and instead of putting it in the hallway, I put it in a bedroom. I left the door open, but I wanted to see what would happen. I went and sat back down with the dogs. A few minutes later there it came rolling past us again! Honest to goodness truth folks!

So for the hell of it I called out “Abe!” My dogs looked at me like I was nuts. Shortly after I saw Abe out of the corner of my eye in the living room. I actually felt kind of like I was welcoming an old friend by then. All though I had never known him to play with my dogs before. That was something new.

After that night I saw Abe quite a bit. I joked with him that it took him long enough to find me. Maybe I was all ready a bit nuts by then. So I tell my big bad Texan husband about Abe. He laughs at me. Calls me an idiot and shakes his head. Our marriage had been going down hill fast by that time. I was going into a depression, knew it and didn’t care. I talked to Abe all the time. Well I talked to my dogs too. None of them judged me.

Abe must have decided he didn’t like my husband. He started to play pranks on him. Now Abe had quite a sense of humor. He used to hide my books on me. He never did anything mean. Just hid things now and then. I always found them again. But, like I said he must have disliked the ex. At the end of things he made a believer out of a rough redneck Texan. He would do things like hide one boot. Hide his keys. One time he knocked my ex’s snuff can in his lap. Not the can of new snuff….oh no….the stuff he spit into a coke can. Oh yeah that was epic! Nasty damn habit that it was.

Abe would take my ex’s belt, wallet, keys or anything else and hide them. Now the belt off his pants at night was funny. I mean that Abe has style!

The best thing, the one thing that made a true believer out of my ex, was the one time Abe showed up behind my ex in the bathroom mirror. My rough, redneck, tough cowboy type screamed like a girl! Abe never did that to me even. Cause I mean, that would be scary shit right?

After that episode my soon to be ex begged me to ask Abe to leave him alone! Begged me! Ahhhhh. I know, small of me, but I cherished that begging.

Abe did leave him alone as far as I know. It was shortly after that I went into my dark deep hole for a while. Yeah my depression. Didn’t notice a whole lot those few years. Once I came out of that I left my husband and started a new life. Went through 5 years of stalking by my ex.

So, now I’m in Canada. Have a new set of animals (my other ones died of old age before I moved here, all within a year of each other). And Abe? He showed up a couple of years ago. He plays with my dog Sam sometimes. I see him in the shadows. He’s been around a long time. Like a warm welcoming friend. He does startle some people. He still plays hide the objects now and again.

I like having him around. I win all the arguments.

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I enjoy reading, writing, and painting. I love animals and at present have one dog (Sam) and 2 cats (brother and sister, Notwen and Pouncer). I've lived in various places in the USA and now in Canada. I've always enjoyed watching life and people and have developed an appreciation for it all. My outlook is sometimes out of the normal.... but that's what makes things so interesting! I am always interested in the opinions of others. Everyone has their own outlook and it's always worthwhile to listen!
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I love it, and would have enjoyed seeing your ex scream and yes, you should savor his begging 🙂 I have always believed in ghosts, been seeing them all my life. My boys do as well and we think my grand daughter does too. We’ve had some pretty strange encounters, but only twice did we have problems with anything nasty.

Well thank you Hook for honoring me. My dogs come visit me all the time. The deceased ones. I know of others that this happens to also. Abe is, well he is more my family than some of my real family is. Sad but true. He’s harmless. Kind of.

I sneaked in here some time over the weekend and read this, but dashed off because I was trying to stay away from blogs. 😉 .. Yesterday, our dog was barking through my office doorway and into the kitchen. He was looking up as though he saw something. He’s afraid of everyone, so it didn’t surprise me that he seemed scared. He simply would NOT stop barking. I know there was nothing there. And then it hit me! “I read Jackie’s ghost story, and Abe is going around and checking out all of her friends!” For a second, it crossed my mind that Abe was in my kitchen!

Then I remembered I had our son’s work uniform hanging on the cupboard doorknob. 🙂

I have felt bed shakers before. I’ve experienced the odd shadow ghost or person. That wouldn’t surprise me in this old house, but I’ve never really seen anything to creep me out.

I like your Abe story. Did it ever cross your mind that in your darkest hour, Abe rushed to your four dogs and told them to quickly run to Mommy, because she needed them?

Actually no, I never thought about Abe telling my dogs to go to me when I was that low. Huh. Makes some sense though. Thank you Maddie! I appreciate Abe even more now. (sorry it took me so long to answer, I’ve been really sick the last few days. Spent 8 hours in the ER Monday. the rest pretty much in bed)

I’m dashing out to my mother’s soon, but wanted to drop by quickly and tell you how sorry I am that you’ve been sick. I hope you’re back on your feet soon. Poor girl. I’ve been staying home as much as possible and trying to avoid people – and using hand sanitizer when I’m out. There’s some wicked stuff out there.

Oh how I loved this.
I believe in ghosts. I usually saw them when I was around 16, driving about 1am. I would pass them on roads, there is 2 I remember, one was an older guy, plaid shirt, overalls, carrying a shovel. You would see him when you passed, but when you put your brake lights on he wouldn’t be there, and it was always in the same spot. The other one was a girl on a hill before a bridge, she would be dressed in white, with long dark hair, she would stand in the road. There is more than my set of brake marks there.

i’ve never seen things like this, and i soooo want to. my daughter says there’s a ghost in her mom’s house. she occasionally sees an image of an old man sitting on the sofa as if he’s watching tv. a few times the keyboard on the computer was clicking as if someone was typing. when she plays back recordings of things, on two occasions she’s heard voices, one time an old man singing or humming. her sister, about 4, has seen a man in her room several times, usually at night, and he appears to have claws.

have you tried going to really old places. There are some places that have tours. I’ve been to a mansion in Ft Worth that was noted for it’s ghosts and hauntings. Now that was an experience! I have always had the ability to see and hear ghosts. It sounds like your daughter does too. That is so cool. It can be interesting, but also startling when you see or hear them. Plus some people think I’m weird. ha! well I am, but I know what I know. Your daughter isn’t scared is she? I hope not. Sounds like the old man just likes her company.

the only time she was scared was when her sister (about 3 at the time) screamed in themiddle of the night. my kid brought her sister into her room, got her out of what seems to the most haunted room – baby’s room – calmed her down, asked what was wrong. the baby said the man with the claws was in her room. the the doorknob started rattling and the baby said “that’s him. he wants to get in. then the baby passed out for a few seconds, rattling stopped. baby woke up and didn’t remember anything.

that’s really interesting! sorry for the baby of course, but I wonder why both see different things. Hmm maybe two ghosts, but I’m betting on only one, but as the baby gets scared she sees ‘claws’ on hers.

I love this story, Jackie! Abe seems like a perfectly benign spirit to me. I think he probably liked the fact that you acknowledged him as a person and not as some creepy spooky ghost. And he gets massive bonus points for scaring your ex-husband. I’m kind of glad he’s still around you, like your own personal guardian (and doggy playmate).

I told .you I would have to come and read this. I think the subject has come up in other posts and comments. I have never seen a ghost personally, but my kids have both experienced them. My son had a poltergeist in our Phoenix apartment. The dog would stand and growl at his empty room. Ghost knocked a cup straight up out of his hand. My daughters ghost followed her for awhile. Not anymore though. Everything is energy and just vibrates at a different rate. So they are still around, we just don’t always see them. I have other odd experiences like things being hidden and when I ask for them back, they show up where I just looked. Either you are a lot less weird these days or the rest of us are catching up with you. I like weird. And ghost stories. I believe the ball story.

I love this story! Thanks so much for sharing. I believe in ghosts, but have never had anything as vivid as this to draw from. We joke our house is haunted by child because we hear odd noises and have a toy piano that plays by itself once in a while. But again, nothing as pronounced as this and we’ve certainly never seen anything!

Thanks for reading! I seem to be sensitive to ghosts. I have plenty of stories to tell. These are just a few. I’ve been seeing them since I was very young but it still sometimes startles me. Then I just say hi, shrug my shoulders and go on…..

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